Cite 27 CFR § 5.143; do not cite the 2022 proposed-definition FAQ as current law.
American single malt whisky under 27 CFR §5.143 is made from 100 percent malted barley, mashed, distilled and aged in the United States, distilled entirely at one U.S. distillery at no more than 160 proof, stored in used, charred new or uncharred new oak barrels no larger than 700 liters only in the United States, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. No 125-proof barrel-entry maximum is specified for this type. Straight American single malt requires at least two years of aging; caramel coloring requires disclosure.
Corrected September12,2026 against §5.143(c), rows15–16. Earlier125-proof entry maximum was erroneous. Corrected linked ASM excerpt and Zettel, added Literature Note correction, removed other whisky-type excerpts as direct support.
Time-sensitive legal claim. Recheck the current official eCFR immediately before publication and state the access date.
The claim restates the current federal table row and distinguishes the base type from straight American single malt.
History narrative corrected September12. Earlier125-proof wording is an error, not a past ASM rule.
Corrected September 12, 2026. The earlier 125-proof entry maximum was erroneous. This correction supersedes the August 29 wording; recheck current law before future use.
Claim
American single malt whisky under 27 CFR §5.143 is made from 100 percent malted barley, mashed, distilled and aged in the United States, distilled entirely at one U.S. distillery at no more than 160 proof, stored in used, charred new or uncharred new oak barrels no larger than 700 liters only in the United States, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. No 125-proof barrel-entry maximum is specified for this type. Straight American single malt requires at least two years of aging; caramel coloring requires disclosure.
Reasoning
The claim restates the controlling federal class-and-type table and separates the base type from the additional aging requirement for straight American single malt whisky.
Evidence
- Current federal provision: 27 CFR § 5.143
- The linked Literature Notes and Excerpts preserve the full production requirements and the straight-designation rule with section-level locators.
Qualification
This is time-sensitive law. The 2022 industry FAQ in the library describes the proposal and historical advocacy; it is not the controlling statement of current law.
Publication control
Cite the current regulation with an access date. Do not substitute a producer, trade-group, or proposal-era summary for the current federal text.